Vitus E-Sommet VR
- Thread starter Iain at the back
- Start date
Ah... that makes a bit more sense. although there are more than 3 factories that can and do hydroform Alu.
A good few years back when I was riding hardtail dirt jump bikes a lot I contacted XACD in china to make me a full custom dirt jump/4X hardtail thinking it'd be a frame I could hold onto for a very long time (I still ride DJ/4X hardtails now many years later with pretty much the same geometry). I'd settled on design, tubing and happy with then quoted price thn it dawned on me every singl titanium component I'd ever owned had cracked or snapped. I held off while Ii did a little bit of research into why this was and realised Titanium was actually not any better for my type of use than Aluminium and less durable than steel.
I've no idea what frames PX are doing or who is manufacturing them but personally I wouldn't want one. A good friend is happily riding an on one 546Ti but he's a lot lighter than me, predomanently more of an XC rider and du to work/kids only rides about once a month.
I'm not saying don't get one just be aware it's not quite the wonder material the bike industry would like us to believe
A good few years back when I was riding hardtail dirt jump bikes a lot I contacted XACD in china to make me a full custom dirt jump/4X hardtail thinking it'd be a frame I could hold onto for a very long time (I still ride DJ/4X hardtails now many years later with pretty much the same geometry). I'd settled on design, tubing and happy with then quoted price thn it dawned on me every singl titanium component I'd ever owned had cracked or snapped. I held off while Ii did a little bit of research into why this was and realised Titanium was actually not any better for my type of use than Aluminium and less durable than steel.
I've no idea what frames PX are doing or who is manufacturing them but personally I wouldn't want one. A good friend is happily riding an on one 546Ti but he's a lot lighter than me, predomanently more of an XC rider and du to work/kids only rides about once a month.
I'm not saying don't get one just be aware it's not quite the wonder material the bike industry would like us to believe
I have just built a steel hardtail for my wife using a Pace frame, we looked first at the Ti frames and decided on the steel its a fantastic bike and sometimes she will prefer to race that over her santa cruz enduro bike
As stupid, heavy and pointless as it was the twin top tube Nicolai 2MXTB was the only nicolai I've ever really liked.
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Did you ever ride a BMW DH bike? I had a shot on Mark Weightman's TMX at a Dragon DH race once. it was ridiculous. Weighed 60lb and felt insdestructable but the pedalling being direct it accelerated like a BMX. Mind you a lot of BMXs were over 35lb then too.
No I never got the chance, closest I ever came to one was when they had one on display at a hipster fixie shop in shoreditch, that sold the BMW Gangsta Track bikes, and had it in for the launch of the shop.
I still want one of their FS BMX's they did, purely because I love how bonkers it is but no doubt a pig to ride.
I still want one of their FS BMX's they did, purely because I love how bonkers it is but no doubt a pig to ride.
A mate of mine here still has his first ever bike; a genuine honda kids FS BMX from the mid 80s (14 or maybe 16" wheels). FS BMX is so wrong! But yeah. Anything Doc did back then was cool.
A few mates from the DJ scene in the SW (about 20 years back) had steel BMW dirtjump frames. They snapped while my £60 unbranded alu DJ frame lasted 10 years (and probably close to 10 forks) until I cracked the head tube lazy hucking about 10ft to flat off the container at Glentress while was knackered.
A few mates from the DJ scene in the SW (about 20 years back) had steel BMW dirtjump frames. They snapped while my £60 unbranded alu DJ frame lasted 10 years (and probably close to 10 forks) until I cracked the head tube lazy hucking about 10ft to flat off the container at Glentress while was knackered.
I guess a lot of it has to do with the fact that back then you couldn't just google a bike, and BMW's and some of the more obscure brands where like rocking horse shit, fleeting glimpses in magazines and stories of friends of friends who had one
Yeah.
Jumpers for goalposts wasn' it? isn' it?
The only old bikes I REALLY want are the few I actually owned that were stolen before their time was up
Jumpers for goalposts wasn' it? isn' it?
The only old bikes I REALLY want are the few I actually owned that were stolen before their time was up
Appreciate your knowledge there Gary , i know little about titanium except for a brief ride on a nice road build .and some nice looking builds about I did wonder if it really was the wonder material or not .
It does seem alloy is still the most robust , all the harder enduro riders I know seem to say carbon always breaks and only use it if it’s given to them
It does seem alloy is still the most robust , all the harder enduro riders I know seem to say carbon always breaks and only use it if it’s given to them
Northumbrian
New Member
Although carbon (like for like) is much stronger than alloy, IMO, it’s major issue is if takes a impact ( sharp rock) it can crack whereas a malable alloy frame would dent...
Still not ideal, but better than a scrapped frame.
Still not ideal, but better than a scrapped frame.
Carbon's not stronger. it just has different strengths and weaknesses to Alloy. Carbon is also far more easily repaired than Aluminium.
Alu can crack if impacted with a sharp object too. The catastrophic nature of carbon failure is it's biggest downside IMO. (I have 2 carbon bikes BTW so am not just saying this as an Alu fanboi)
Northumbrian
New Member
Agree on the catastrophic nature of carbon, my mates seat tube exploded on a down hill ( decent brand) sounded like a rifle being fired, and shards of sharp Carbon fibre ready to impale you!
Interesting to here your slant on CF repairs, I thought it was difficult to repair... I get Ali repaired no probs, not sure how CF can be repaired no ability to “fuse” material ....? but that’s maybe me not having contacts ( I also ride a CF bike !)
Which grades of Aluminium and who do you use to get your repairs heat treated?
Quite a few places specialise in carbon fibre repairs
eg.
Carbon Bike Repair – UK's premier carbon repair shop
New maxle just turned up - spec is 12x148boost 1.5 pitch 175mm overall length (but 180mm will work fine protruding the drive side by 5mm)
Cheap replacements
Twist lever style
Brand-X Twist Lever Thru Axle | Chain Reaction Cycles
Bolt up style
Brand-X Bolt Thru Axle | Chain Reaction Cycles
No more tagging stuff and undoing itself.
Cheap replacements
Twist lever style
Brand-X Twist Lever Thru Axle | Chain Reaction Cycles
Bolt up style
Brand-X Bolt Thru Axle | Chain Reaction Cycles
No more tagging stuff and undoing itself.
Northumbrian
New Member
Don’t do it often ( thank god) but my last Ali welding was on 7000 grade , if I remember tight filler rod was 4036 ?, I use a company in Ashington, Northumberland ( can’t remember name of the top of my head)
Heat treatment on Ali welding not so critical as carbon steels, and heat is very localised, so I normally air cool naturally or ”normalise”...... some metalagist is going to put me straight here I think?
Cheers for the Carbon repair contact, here’s hoping I never need it.
Gary, whilst we are with material repairs, do you no anyone who does Ti welding or repairs? I have found with Ti frames in the past no one will touch them. My son competes on a Ti Kingdom Hard tail, and i dread the thought of trying to get a repair done ( in theory frame is guaranteed but that doesn’t always apply!)
Heat treatment on Ali welding not so critical as carbon steels, and heat is very localised, so I normally air cool naturally or ”normalise”...... some metalagist is going to put me straight here I think?
Cheers for the Carbon repair contact, here’s hoping I never need it.
Gary, whilst we are with material repairs, do you no anyone who does Ti welding or repairs? I have found with Ti frames in the past no one will touch them. My son competes on a Ti Kingdom Hard tail, and i dread the thought of trying to get a repair done ( in theory frame is guaranteed but that doesn’t always apply!)
Hope there’s enough thread ?
Much rather have bolt up axles than levers , Levers to me are some kind of throwback to the old quick release on racing roadies , must cost more too , everyone has a trail tool . And if they don’t they should ?
Yeah. The thread's more than 5mm longer than the original 175mm axle
brand X do rockshox fork maxles too
Northumbrian
New Member
Cheers ? will keep them in mind if he breaks his pride and joy !
My old Ellsworth rogue turned up wit fkin coach bolt for an axle, it was only a few years ago I bought a titanium tapered allen nut & bolt for it which looks mint btw
Not to mention quadrupling the re-sale value
I'm the same. if it's still in one piece it's a keeper
steve_sordy
Wedding Crasher
Carbon fibre is stronger and more break proof than you think (provided its not a Chinese knock off). See this video from PinkBike about testing carbon fibre frames at Santa Cruz. The video is only 5m 50s, but at the very least skip to 5m 0s for the unofficial PinkBike test! If you have not seen this before, you will be astonished.
steve_sordy
Wedding Crasher
I don't recall seeing a wheel testing vid from you, but do you mean the Danny Macaskil one where eventually (because he can't break them) he rides down the long flight of steps on just the rims? Yes I've seen that one as well.
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